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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Boys and books. Sometimes it’s a natural pairing, and sometimes
it’s like pulling teeth.
No one knows this better than veteran award-winning classroom teacher
Arthur Brood, otherwise known as “Author Arthur,” who takes the
bull by the horns and deliberately pens books for the underserved market of
reluctant boy readers ages 8 to 12.

In his latest book, a sequel to his popular juvenile historical fiction
book titled The Mud Hole, Brood tells the entertaining story of how
eleven-year-old Henry finds himself in the surprising role of hero one
winter’s day.

The Snow Car begins on a winter morning in 1912, with fifth
grader Henry driving himself and his brother Robert to school in the
family’s Ford Model T. The cow on their family farm has escaped, and
if the boys had walked to school, they would have been late.

Alas, the winter weather causes all kinds of problems for the novice
driver, who drops off a number of his classmates on the way home, since no
one wants to walk in the wet snow falling from the sky.

As additional adventures occur, many centered around the family’s
Ford Model T, Henry explores some unique ways to keep the car running both
in and on the snow. In the process, he goes from a mischievous boy full of
creative ideas to town hero when he takes a courageous journey to get
medicine for his father and others who come down with the deadly disease
called influenza.
“Author Arthur” explains that his story touches on
automobile history and winter driving in the early days of automobile
transportation. Each chapter ends with a short “Did You Know?”
fact relating to the story, with interesting information about early cars
and road conditions in the early 1900s. For one thing, the first
automobiles weren’t made to drive in wet or cold weather, most
didn’t come with wipers, and there was no such thing as snow
tires.

Brood comments, “As a teacher, I saw many boys who were reluctant
readers and had difficulty finding fiction books they enjoyed. They were
often drawn to books that were inappropriate for their age or contained
questionable content. I felt I could write fiction books on car
themes that would draw these reluctant readers into reading and provide
wholesome content at the same time.”

The chapters in The Snow Car are deliberately short to help keep
the attention span of readers, and the book can be used in classroom
settings and out.

“The Snow Car is a great story for kids.
Not only do they get a story, but they learn facts about Model T cars and
what life was like for boys back in 1912. The book held my interest and is
a page turner towards the end.” ~ Roxie Arnott, fourth grade
teacher, Ontonagon Area Schools

AUTHOR: “Author Arthur” is an author and educator
with twenty-five years of experience as an elementary teacher. He is the
winner of the 2015 McConnell History Educator Award. As an educator, he
focuses his writing on reluctant boy readers by writing about cars, yet he
appeals to a wider audience by blending historical fiction with supporting
facts. The author of The Mud Hole and its sequel The Snow
Car, he has been a frequent guest of the ASK (Authors, Specialist,
Knowledge) program with Macomb Intermediate School District since 2009.
This interactive TV format allows him to interact and respond to questions
from hundreds of students each year. He also shares his passion and
knowledge about early automobile history through school assemblies in which
he uses a mini Model T and portrays Henry Ford to share about the assembly
line. “Author Arthur” resides in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. To learn more, visit his website at www.arthurbrood.com.

PLEASE NOTE

*Stories for Children Publishing, LLC. (SFC) and its divisions do not receive any compensation for product reviews beyond a sample and/or limited access to a paid website. SFC donates all books sent for review to a charitable organization. SFC may do a contest or giveaway of samples we receive.